Automatic gas cut-off.



C. A. WIETING. AUTOMATICvGAS CUT-OFF. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24,1915.

IMI,

me Mmm; persa: au, Nom umu CARL A. WIETING, OF SNOQUALMIE, WASHINGTON.

AUTOMATIC GAS CUT-OFF.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1917.

Application filed June 24, 1915. Serial No. 36,117.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL A. vWInTivo, citizen of the United States, residing at SnoqualmieJ in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Gas Cut-Offs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in automatic gas cut-offs designed to permit the discharge and the burning of the gas while the burner is heated to some extent, and which, in the event that the jet should become extinguished without the gas having been first cut oif, will, as its temperature lowers, automatically cut off the escape of gas, and hence secure the occupant or occupants of the room against the danger of asphyxiation.

The invention may be said to consist in the construction, combination and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

ln the drawings, annexed:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation illustrating the application of my improved cut-olf device;

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in section, of my improved device;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view; and

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Like numerals of reference designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Referring now t0 the drawings by numerals, 1 designates the main gas supply pipe, 2 as an entirety, my improved automatic cut-0E device, and 3 that portion of the gas supply pipe leading from the safety device or cut-olf to the burner.

The cut-off device in its preferred embodiment may be said to consist of a suitable valve casing 4 within which a reciprocable valve 5 is operable. A gas supply passageway 6 is formed in the' casing 4 and open to a gas outlet passageway 7 leading therefrom to the burner. Casing 4 is interiorly enlarged intermediate the mentioned passageways 6 and 7 to afford a valve seat 8 for the mentioned valve, the latter being slidable relatively to its seat that communication between said passageways may be opened and closed. Valve 5 is provided with an opening or port 9 movable, upon reciprocation of the valve, into and out of registry with said supply passageways, which passageways, in the preferred arrangement of my improved device, are vertically or otherwise alined.

A valve stem 10 is integral with or tixedly secured to the valve 5 at one end thereof, which stem, as shown to advantage in 'Fig 8, carries a iiange or collar 11 that the latter, collar 11, may serve as an abutment for one end of a spring 12 arranged to embrace the valve stem and to abut at its opposite end the closed adjacent terminal of the casing. Movement of the valve 5 into the position shown in Fig. 3 or into a position whereby to aline port 9 with the passageways 6 and 7 will be against tension of the mentioned spring.

The casing 4 is provided with a right angled exteriorly threaded extension 13 at the opposite end thereof from that engaged by the mentioned spring. A cylinder 14 is fastened to the mentioned extension in depending` relation to the casing 4 that an enlargement 15 formed at the base of the cylinder may be located directly above the jet or iiame issuing from the burner.

A piston 16 is adapted to operate within the cylinder 14 and to actuate the valve 5 accordingly. Valve 5 has pivotally secured thereto as at 17 a rod 18 pivoted as at 19 at its opposite end to a bell crank 20 in turn g pivoted as at 21 and connected as at 22 is a rod 23 movable with the piston. The oonnection 22 is of such a nature as to permit of movement of the rod 23 relatively to the bell crank 20 without swinging the said rod off from its normal vertical axis. A bearing 24 serves as a guide for the rod 23 during its reciprocatory movement.

An auxiliary or laterally extending cylinder structure 25 is made integral with the cylinder 14 and open thereto at a point in proximity to and slightly above the enlargement 15 formed at the cylinder base. A second piston 26 is mounted to operate in this last mentioned cylinder, which piston is equipped with a rod 27 pivoted as at 28 to a leaf or plate spring29 aiiixed as at 29 exteriorly of the cylinder 14 to extend vertically and in parallelism with the mentioned cylinder axis. Said spring 29 carries at its uppermost end a stop pin 30 which, as shown to advantage in Fig. 3, penetrates the cylinder structure 14 to project interiorly of the cylinder and afford a support for the piston 16 under circumstances to be hereinafter described. Said pin 30 is provided with a beveled inner endy as indicated at 31.

A pendent operating element 32 is hungy to depend from the automatic cut-ofin device and more particularly from a bell crank 33 forming a part thereof. The bell crank 33 is pivoted as at 34 interiorly of the casing 4 and in proximity to the valve .stem 10. A spring 35 is associated with the bell crank 33 that the latter may be normally maintained in the position shown `in Fig. 3.

Normally, valve 5 is so positioned relatively to its seat 8 as to shut oit communication between the passageways 6 and 7. To open communication between the mentioned passageways and to aline the port 9 of the valve with said passageways it is but neces-y sary to exert a pull upon the operating element 32. Such pull upon the element will cause bell crank 33 to engage with the lange 11 and to move the valve stemlO and valve 5 against tension of the spring 12. Such movement of the valve 5 will, through the agency of the rod 18, bell crank 2O and rod 23, cause the piston 16to move upwardly within the cylinder 14 until above the horizontal plane of the pin 30. Pin 30 being provided with a beveled terminal it is apparent that movement of the piston 16 in the manner statedmay take place. Subsequent to movement of. the piston, and through the springaction generated in the plate spring, the pin 30 will again be moved to project inwardly from the cylinder 14 and thus aiford a support for the piston and a means whereby spring l2 is maintained contracted or compressed.

The enlargement 15 of the cylinder 14is filled with a suitable expanding fluid such as mercury which, subsequent to ignition of the burner and to the contact of heat therewith, will expand to a degree whereby piston 16 may b-e supported independently of the pin 30 which heretofore acted as a support for the piston. Upon the expansion of the mercury to a degree sufficient to support the piston 16, continued expansion will cause piston 26 to be actuated against tension of the spring 29 and the pin 30, through movement of the spring, withdrawn from engagement from a position within the cylinder 14. rllhe spring 29 and the stop device 30 will remain in the position last mentioned so long as the heat is directed .against the enlargement 15 ofthe cylinder. u

VShould the light be extinguished inadvertently or for any reason whatsoever, contraction of the mercury within the cylinder 14 will permit piston 16 to recede and valve 5 to move relatively to its seat through action of spring 12. Upon movement of the piston 16 to a position below the horizontal plane of the pin 30, and continued contractlng or receding movement of the mercury within the cylinder will permit piston 26 to recede under action of spring 29 thereby extendingthe pin 30 interiorly of the cylinder 14 as voriginally extended. When in the latter position, a second operation of the element 32 may take place.

From the foregoing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings it is evident that the operation of the device is absolutely automatic and of such a nature as to shut off communication between the passageways 6 and 7 immediately subsequent to extinguishment of the flame; that the piston 16 and the piston 26 are both operable under the expanding action of the mercury within the cylinder 14; and that the tension of the spring 29 is incapable of resisting the expanding action of the mercury against the piston 26 yet sutficient to return piston 26 to its normal position and the pin 30 within the cylinder 14 the moment the mercury shall have receded suiiiciently to permit of such return movement of the parts mentioned.

In reduction to practice, I have found that the form of my invention, illustrated in the drawings and referred to in the above description, as the preferred embodiment, is the most efficient and practical; yet realizing that the conditions concurrent with the adoption of my device will necessarily vary,

I desire to emphasize the fact that various A minor changes in details of construction, proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, without sacrificing any of the advantages of my invention, as dened in the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an automatic gas cut-oii' valve device, the combination with the burner of a valve, a means operable manually to, move saidl valve, and yopen the gas supply to said burner, resilient means for retaining the valve in normally closed position, a thermostatic device com rising a cylinder containing expansible uid, a piston movable in said cylinder and connected to the valve for actuating the same, means engaging the piston to retain the same against movement and the valve in open position, and means for rement thereof, and means operating automatically upon disengagement of the thermostatic means with said piston to return said piston to its normal position and reversely move said valve.

3. In an automatic gas cut-ofi' device, a valve, a cylinder, a piston operating within said cylinder, a connection between said piston and said valve, a spring actuated stop device mounted for engagement with the piston subsequent to movement to act as a support therefor, a second piston movable to disengage the stop and said lirst piston, thermostatic means to actuate the last mentioned piston and provide a support for the lirst mentioned piston subsequent to movement of the stop device out of engagement therewith, and spring means operating automatically to return said piston to its normal position and accordingly actuate the valve.

il. In an automatic cut-off device, a spring actuated valve, a piston, a cylinder inclosing the piston, a connection between said. piston and said valve, means operable to move said valve against tension of its spring and move said piston, a stop device operating automatically to support .the piston subsequent to movement, a second piston actuatable to disengage said stop device and said first mentioned piston, thermostatic means within said cylinder to actuate said second mentioned piston and support said first mentioned piston subsequent to disengagement of the stop device therewith, and spring means operable to return the second piston and the stop device respectively to a normal position subsequent to actuation by said thermostatic means, substantially as described.

5. In an automatic gas cut-off device, the combination with a burner of a valve, a thermostatic device including a cylinder containing expansible fluid and a piston movable within the cylinder, a connection between said valve and said piston, a means operable to move said valve and accordingly move said piston, a spring actuated stop device automatically operable to engage with and hold said piston against movement, and thereby retain the valve in open position, a second thermostatic means operatively associated with said stop device to disengage the latter and said piston, and a means operating automatically to return the valve and piston to a position whereby the gas supply to the burner is cut 0H.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CARL A. WIETING.

Witnesses:

DANIEL C. BROWN, W. I-I. WnmNe.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

